Leveque Is Throwing Heat in the Cold at Michigan

A smorgasbord of notes, quotes and opinions from across the San Fernando Valley and surrounding communities:

Tim Leveque, a sophomore pitcher at Michigan and a Crespi High graduate, might have the lowest earned-run average in the nation but is 1 2/3 innings short of qualifying for the NCAA statistical list.

Leveque (3-1) entered this week with a 0.79 ERA in 34 1/3 innings. Under NCAA rules, he needs to pitch at least as many innings as games his team has played. Michigan has played 36 games.

He’s using a cut fastball taught to him by Michigan Coach Geoff Zahn and relying on advice from Crespi Coach Scott Muckey to succeed at the college level.

“Coach Muckey taught me to pound the outside corner and I’m doing that more and even better,” he said.

Leveque is flourishing despite a dislike for Michigan’s cold weather. Two of his scheduled starts were wiped out by rain and snow. He was set to pitch on April 1 against Penn State but was stuck inside because of a snowstorm on the day his parents were visiting from Northridge.

“I woke up, put my contacts in and couldn’t believe my eyes,” Leveque said. “My parents were flipping out because my dad has never seen falling snow. It’s a great school and good program, but I didn’t know what I was getting into with the weather. It was April 1 and we got two inches of snow. I tell my friends I’m never living anywhere remotely close to the Midwest when I’m older.”

Not that Leveque isn’t enjoying being a Southern California native on the Michigan campus.

“We’re almost like aliens,” he said. “It’s like you’re from a different universe. I kind of relish it.

“People complain I talk too much about home. I don’t care. I have my Dodger hat and they get on me.”

Leveque, 6 feet 3 and 210 pounds, is looking forward to next season. Michigan will be spending its spring break in San Diego.

Maybe he’ll be able to teach his teammates to surf. . . .

In 1984, Jordan Cohen was a 5-7, 185-pound all-league offensive lineman for Granada Hills.

He was smart enough to know his football career was over after high school, but that hasn’t prevented him from being involved in sports.

He has become the real estate agent for more than 30 professional athletes and sports figures over the last three years. In February, he sold 11 estate properties valued at more than $23 million.

NBA players Reggie Miller, Chris Mills and Don MacLean, former NFL great Marcus Allen and major leaguer Gabe Kapler are among the clients who have called upon Cohen to help them find or sell property.

“He’s just a hard worker,” Kapler said. “He’s a hustler.”

Cohen is based in North Ranch and works for RE/MAX Olson Associates. Many of his clients were recommended to him by the office of agent Arn Tellem.

“It’s the most fun in the world,” Cohen said.

Except for maybe coaching his 5-year-old son in a T-ball league. . . .

Two years ago, Cecil Brown transferred from Taft to Canoga Park. Some people thought it was a foolish decision, including one sportswriter. But give him and Coach Ralph Turner credit for proving many people wrong.

Brown developed into the region’s best City Section basketball player, averaging 34.5 points last season. He signed with UC Santa Barbara, and his new coach, Bob Williams, can’t wait to work with him.

“We think he’s very versatile and has a chance to play three positions, point, off guard and small forward,” Williams said. “We think he’s an all-around player and have no idea how much better he’s going to get. He’s a tip of an iceberg and we’re very excited about his potential.” . . .

Football Coach Jim Bonds of St. Francis is being awfully quiet during the off-season, raising suspicion he might have a far better team this fall than people realize.

The Golden Knights return 40 players from their 10-3 Division III semifinalist squad.

“I’m excited about this team,” Bonds said. “We have a lot of guys working hard.”

The major challenge will be finding a replacement at quarterback for UCLA-bound John Sciarra. Senior Rick Knauf, junior Kevin Davies and sophomore Alex Gonzalez are the top candidates, along with junior Scott Smiland, a kicker and starter for the volleyball team. . . .

Monte McNair of Oak Park, a kicker, punter, receiver and defensive back in football and starting guard in basketball, ran 40 yards in 4.48 seconds at the Nike combine in San Diego.

“He’s one of the most well-rounded athletes we’ve ever had,” Coach Dick Billingsley said.

Oak Park could have one of its fastest teams. Quarterback Brendan Anderson is another player with speed. . . .

Tim Carr, a former Westlake pitcher, quit the Kansas City Royals’ organization three weeks ago after they decided to send him back to Class-A ball.

“There’s a fine line to being a prospect and a suspect and I was questioning where I was in their eyes,” he said. “Unless I go somewhere else, I’m done.”

He has become the freshman pitching coach at Westlake. Maybe he has a future as a coach. Westlake is 6-0 since he arrived. . . .

Simi Valley’s baseball team has received a boost from freshman outfielder Danny Gaughen, who was promoted from the junior varsity three weeks ago after leading the team with a .485 average.

He got a single in his first at-bat against Montclair Prep, hit a grand slam against Bonita and has moved into the starting lineup.

“He’s a heck of a hitter,’ Coach Joe Gordon said. “When we saw him in tryouts, he hit the ball as hard or harder than some of our varsity guys.” . . .

Cara Blumfield, a sophomore shortstop at Boston College from El Camino Real, has broken the season school record for home runs with 12. She’s batting .391 with 41 runs batted in. . . .

Randy Wolf will be the starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies today at Dodger Stadium. It’s his favorite place to pitch. He has a 1.69 earned-run average in 16 innings against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

He won the 1994 City Championship game at Dodger Stadium for El Camino Real and got a save in the ’93 City final. So, if you’re in Las Vegas, don’t bet against Wolf. . . .

Rocky Sherwood, a top catcher for Sylmar’s talented teams of the early 1980s, is an LAPD officer. He married a former Kennedy statistics keeper and they have two baseball-playing sons.

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Eric Sondheimer’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.